Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – a franchise frozen in time

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is showing in cinemas nationwide.

I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at the Premier Leisure Cinema, a beautiful wee theatre in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire. During the screening, a restless child got up and started wandering around the cinema. Sometimes, he would do bizarre walks in front of the screen. Other times, he’d sing the Ghostbusters theme louder than the movie, all completely unsupervised. I made two observations – one: that kid’s parents ought to be ashamed of themselves for their inability or unwillingness to control their child in a public venue. Two: the wean was more entertaining than the film.

Ghostbusters is a franchise that’s remained popular via its quirky characters, spooky effects and colourful visuals. While I find the original 1984 film somewhat overrated, it’s hard not to appreciate its humour and sense of fun. Attempted continuations have been consistently underwhelming, be it the bizarre Ghostbusters 2, the unfairly maligned Ghostbusters 2016, or the gluttonously nostalgia-heavy Afterlife. Frozen Empire is a direct sequel to Afterlife, and although its nostalgic dependencies are similarly eye-rolling, its joylessness is a flaw of its own making.

The Spengler family has moved back to New York, taking up residency in the iconic Ghostbusters firehouse. They have officially taken the reins of busting ghosts but still occasionally call upon the veteran cast for assistance. 15-year-old Phoebe (McKenna Grace) is particularly devoted but feels she is undervalued due to her age. When the Ghostbusters are given an ancient brass orb, their attempts to unlock it result in the unleashing of a towering ice ghost who wishes to summon an army and create a chilly new domain. Far from something strange in the neighbourhood, this might just be the Ghostbusters’ biggest threat yet.

Between the new Spengler family (Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd), the remaining original Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson), and their sarcastic secretary (Annie Potts), the first problem with Frozen Empire becomes easily discernible. In attempting to continue Afterlife’s story and pander to audiences who just want the original film regurgitated and fed back to them, Frozen Empire quickly becomes overcrowded. Add on Afterlife’s two irritating sidekicks in Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), and Podcast (Logan Kim), plus new characters played by Kumail Nanjiana and a positively bored James Acaster, and the film becomes an overstuffing of protagonists that feels less like an ensemble and more of a chaotic party where everyone is attempting to get a slice of the cake.

For the most part, the Spengler family remains the focus, particularly Phoebe, whose arc seems to be about reconciling her desire to be a ghostbuster with the fact that their unit, be it family or ghostbuster, is a team effort. This otherwise interesting arc is underdeveloped and obfuscated by the need to cram cast, plot and member berries onto the screen. Aykroyd gets the most to do of the old cast, with Murray only appearing in a handful of scenes, presumably as that was all of his time that was affordable. References to the original are abundant, from Slimer to the mini marshmallow men to even a callback to the classic “dickless” joke. It’s more tolerable than Afterlife, which ultimately traded in its originality for nostalgia in the last act, but the continued reliance shows an aversion to risk or anything that new.

Visually speaking, Frozen Empire does have some exciting tricks. The art and VFX departments must’ve had a field day because the effects are immersive, and the designs of the props and ghostly antagonist look brilliant. With well-integrated CGI and a knack for practicality, they’re a good mix of spooky and silly, building atmosphere in the third act when the sinister stalagmites finally make their presence known. If passion comes across anywhere, then it’s in these moments.

Perhaps what is most intoxicating about these films is the playful tone and how that translates to the characterisation, visuals and humour. Frozen Empire rarely taps into this, with the majority of its humour coming from awkward interactions and quirks, be it Phoebe’s new dynamic with Rudd’s character or Podcast’s bottom-of-the-barrel quips. The film opts for a more serious tone, which feels counterproductive to the spirit of the franchise. The threat they’re facing is certainly deadly, but the grittier tone robs the film of a much-needed light-heartedness. The action and visuals become mired by the story’s need to be sombre and dour when the chaotic goofiness is what attracted so many people to these films. That it’s in service to an overcrowded story and regressive reminiscence turns the product into, at best, sensory overload and, at worst, something surprisingly gloomy.

What we’re essentially left with is a wonky carnival ride that we can’t help but feel we’ve ridden before. It’ll have its moments for diehard fans, whether they’re seeking daft escapism or another reminder of their childhood favourite film, but it’s a directionless fare that seems uncertain whether it wants to be gritty and different or safe and familiar. By trying to be both, it ends up being neither, resulting in a film that has a certain visual flair but little else. It’s structurally unsound, disorganised and more dull than it is thrilling or funny. It’s hardly a surprise that the kid couldn’t sit down or pay attention.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is by no means terrible, but it’s completely uninspiring and rather hollow. Its title is more fitting as a reference to how frozen in time both it and the franchise’s loyal fanbase seem to be, preferring dewy-eyed, thematically void content over anything challenging or evolutionary. It may prove a decent enough source of escapism for two hours, but it’ll likely go in one ear and out the other for everyone except those chronically addicted to these films. If this is the level of quality we can expect from Ghostbusters going forward, then maybe Walter Peck was right.